The Last Great Hunt (Australia)

It’s Dark Outside

This all-family show, from Australia’s The Last Great Hunt, takes the Western genre and turns it on its head, recasting the lone hero as a lonely old man with dementia. The tale begins with his foray into the wilderness— a place where he seems destined to wander. As the sun starts to set, a new world emerges, and our hero finds himself caught up in a frightening scenario. Danger lurks, and as the light fades things get stranger and stranger.

The tools of the trade here are puppetry, animation, shadow play and live performance, and there’s joy in seeing how much the show’s creators can do with what they have. They know that with resourcefulness and the power of suggestion, a complete world can be evoked. In that world a man fights off the dying of the light, and his struggle is turned into the stuff of adventure and redemption. This is a deeply moving work, and a sheer delight for the senses.

[A] rare triumph of theatrical ingenuity and human compassion… thrilling entertainment… There’s a touch of genius about these young artists.